BMW car parts – avoiding costly repairs

As with all makes of car, new BMWs aren’t the only type on the roads. Older models still have appeal, and drivers of both old and new BMWs need car parts if they are to avoid costly garage repairs. Of course, the technology involved in the design and manufacture of new BMWs means that there may be less that the owner-maintainer can do, but you could still save money in key areas. Drivers of older models may be able to repair and service their cars without ever taking them to a garage if they know where to get the best BMW car parts.

Seeking out BMW car parts

Whether you’re an owner of a new BMW looking for a wheel trim or wing mirror, or the driver of an old-style BMW looking for a clutch or gearbox, you need to find dealers who can supply the parts you need. New BMW car parts are expensive, so the best place to go is breakers and dealers who have good quality pre-owned car parts for sale at a more reasonable price. This is especially true for older BMW models, where parts are likely to be out of production. How do you keep your car on the road if you can’t repair it? Where once your weekend would be spent travelling to specialist yards or particular dealers in order to hunt down a specific BMW car part, today’s owners can sit in their homes and search online.

BMW car parts for cars 15 years old and more

BMWs that are driven by corporate managers are unlikely to be serviced by their drivers. They will be lease or contract hire vehicles, with a service agreement that ensures that every BMW car part is sourced new and fitted by a professional. Many BMWs, however, are bought and driven by individuals who love the style, build quality and performance of these cars – and these are often the drivers who save money by maintaining the car themselves. By having access to parts dealers across the country, these owners can get hold of the BMW car parts they are looking for and have them delivered to the door – often saving time and money. Parts sourced this way, through broker sites like 1^st Choice, are good quality, reliable parts and carry a guarantee, so that you can be certain you’re making the right choice. www.bmw.com

Security label makes eBay hard for fences

People selling stolen goods are wary of handling items with a security label – making them less attractive to thieves

The internet offers excellent chances for people selling stolen goods to get rid of their wares to an unsuspecting public in a way that could never be done at a car boot sale or in the back of a seedy pub. But the fences are still wary of handling items with a security label – making the labels an excellent deterrent to thieves.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Laurence King, managing director of anti-theft consultants Oris Group, believes that tens of thousands of pounds worth of stolen goods were sold on the internet auction site eBay every day. Most of this property will not have had a security label put on it by its owners.

Security label important in fight against thieves

In the same article in the newspaper Michael Gallagher, head of crime policy at the British Retail Consortium, claimed that criminals are selling stolen goods from the comfort of their own home, rather than at the car boot sale or in the pub, calling eBay "a virtual fence." Yet it is eBay’s unique customer feedback system that makes security labelling such an important weapon in the fight against thieves.

eBay works because buyers can see every seller’s history – a cumulation of feedback from everybody who has bought something from them previously. Sellers with higher feedback scores will find it easier to sell their goods, meaning the website rewards people who provide honest, quality service. Anyone who receives an item that doesn’t match the description given – bearing a security label marking the item as someone else but the seller’s property, for example – is able to provide enough poor feedback about the seller to stop them trading under their current eBay ID.

Because the best feedback scores take so long to acquire, it is not in a seller’s interest to risk losing their hard-earned feedback over one secondhand item. Consequently, security labelled property is less likely to find its way onto the site.

Security label helps identify fences

Of course, there has always been an element of complicity between some of a fence’s customers and the seller of stolen goods, whether in the pub, the car boot sale or a more legitimate-looking venue (in 2000 the Sun claimed that one in three secondhand computer dealers were involved in fencing stolen goods). But on eBay, one individual can hit a fence’s profits far more effectively than they could in those traditional markets (at least without involving the police) – and the security label undoubtedly makes it easier to identify the seller of stolen goods.

As a more apt and accurate alternative find fences and fencing panels at edecks.

Furniture for Conservatories Tips

Interested in furniture for conservatories? If so then why not first cast an eye over some of our very best conservatory furniture tips below?

Conservatories are being used more and more frequently as an extra room within the house and as such there has been an increase in the demand for conservatory furniture. As a result there is now an extensive range of conservatory furniture available for you to choose from. However, before you rush out buying furniture for your new conservatory you need to consider that conservatories are not like other rooms in the house, they are lighter and sunnier. This means that a different type of furniture is called for and this is why we have devised a list of some of our favourite conservatory furniture tips for your benefit.

Material - Consider opting for rattan, cane or wicker furniture as it will not only look good in a light and airy room but it is also relatively easy to carry out into the garden on a sunny day whilst withstanding a considerable amount of wear and tear. You will also be able to benefit from an extensive range of furniture to choose from, available at an affordable price, as this type of furniture is the most popular in conservatories.

Fabric - Washable, removable furniture covers which are hard-wearing are a must because conservatories are often used as a point of entry to the house from the garden. This inevitably means that dirt, leaves and garden debris will be brought in via the conservatory. If you are able to remove and wash the covers on the furniture you will be able to extend the furniture’s lifespan. Fabric should also be resistant to the effect of the sun’s rays.

Colour – Think about the direction the conservatory is facing. South-facing conservatories will often best suit cool colours such as blues and greens whilst North or East-facing conservatories will look their best when surrounded by warm and vibrant shades.

Ambiance – Consider the ambience you are wanting to create. Conservatories often attract the natural look as they have such a wonderful view of the garden and that is why using natural products within conservatories is so popular. Think about wooden flooring, plants and wooden blinds.

Space – Conservatories are light and airy rooms and best benefit from the feeling of space. Try to avoid going for furniture which is too large or makes the room feel over-crowded.

Conservatories – Finding The Right One

If you are interested in receiving the benefits conservatories or pure glass extensions provide you with, then you would be well advised to ensure that you go for the right one. Why not take advantage of some of the tips we have learnt through our years of experience in the conservatories trade.

Conservatories – Finding the One
Conservatories for most people are an investment which needs to be budgeted for and as such require careful planning and consideration. Furthermore, when you consider how much time you put into choosing you house it really doesn’t seem outrageous to spend time considering an extra room added on to the house. Going out and simply buying a conservatory is simply not an option. You need to be looking at conservatories which will blend into the general style and structure of your house both from an inside and outside perspective. Below we offer some of our best tips for ensuring that you get the best conservatory for you:

Location – You need to spend sometime thinking about exactly where you want your conservatory to be and what purpose it will best serve. Should it face the garden? Where will it get the best sun? Which room would it be best to attached to?

Size – You will need to consider what the maximum size would be without needing planning permission. You also need to think about how large the conservatory will have to be to suit your needs. Will it fit in with the general room plan? Measure out the area you are considering and check what furniture will fit within the area. Don’t forget to consider the positioning of the doors

Design – There now exists an extensive range of conservatories but the question is not just which one do you most like but also which design and shape will best suit the style of your house? Bear in mind that the location of conservatory will affect the design you go for. Large houses and conservatories at the back of houses will allow for the least constrained conservatory designs.

Colour and Material - Would you like a pure glass extension? What colour is the house and the windows and which colour would you like your conservatory to be? The wide range of conservatories on the market is available in a variety of materials and colours. The choice is almost limitless which means that there is no excuse for ending up with a conservatory which is an appropriate colour.

Steel Sheds - Hints for Assembly

Almost anyone, regardless of the level of their do-it-yourself skills can assemble one the many types of modern steel sheds. While some sizes of steel sheds are more than a one-person job, the process of assembly from kits makes building steel sheds a fairly simple task.

As with any DIY home improvement, a few hints or tips can go a long way towards making the project a roaring success. Building a steel shed starts just as any other building project would. Steel sheds are built from the bottom up. In this case, the bottom meaning the pad or foundation. Pouring a concrete slab is a bit too strenuous a job for most homeowners. It is recommended that you hire a masonry contractor for this part of your building endeavor. Still, there are a few things you will want to do in this phase, in order to make the actual assembly of your steel shed go more smoothly.

Steel Sheds Start From the Ground Up

First, be sure the earth beneath the steel shed's location is free of tree roots and graded fairly smoothly. Next, place several layers of visqueen plastic on the graded earth. Make sure your contractor uses a line level in building his forms. After the concrete is poured, hand your contractor lengths of eight inch threaded rod to be placed in the concrete on spots marking the corners of your new building. This will make anchoring the building far more simple than drilling through the concrete afterward.

Extra Fasteners Help with Assembly of Steel Sheds

Assuming your concrete pad has been given a week to thoroughly dry, you are now ready to begin assembly. Steel sheds arrive in prepackaged kits. Presumably with all of the hardware and cladding included. Invariably, the kits are lacking the correct number of fasteners. Further, the fasteners provided are often of inferior quality and a bit too universal in size. Visit the hardware store and purchase a wide assortment of lengths and diameters of nuts, bolts and self-tapping screws. When assembling steel sheds, often, the pre-drilled holes do not perfectly align and having a slightly longer and narrower bolt will allow you to pull components together.

When assembling large sections of steel sheds, remember to leave all of the nuts, bolts or sheet metal screws being used not fully tightened (a little loose) until all of the pieces are basically in place. This will allow you to give a wall or roof section a bit of a twist and make sure all of the screw holes properly lineup. Once aligned, you can quickly tighten the fasteners for that section.

Caulk Roof Seams on Steel Sheds While Assembling

Finally, most of the kits created for steel sheds use interlocking roof panels. These use a folded sheet metal hooking design that, in theory, is meant to prevent forced rain from leaking through. A bead of latex caulk run on the inside of the bend, before hooking the following panel will completely guarantee that no force of storm can cause your new metal roof to leak.

A Steel Shed Keeps Your Contents Safe and Dry

Say goodbye to wooden shed problems – a steel shed will keep all your belongings in perfect condition, whether it’s for home or work use.

Storage space at home or work can be limited so a steel shed is often the ideal solution. Completely versatile, a steel shed is the perfect place to keep your contents safe and dry in a purpose built construction that will last a lifetime. All types of metal sheds are becoming hugely popular due to their sturdy and quality build, making the old garage or garden shed a thing of the past.

A Steel Shed Is Built To Last

Steel sheds are popular for both domestic and industrial uses, so naturally there is a lot of scope for what you want to use your steel shed for. If you’re a business and struggling to find somewhere to house boxes and other valuable contents, metal sheds are the perfect solution because they won’t weather and they will always keep your items safe and dry. The weather in the UK is known for being unpredictable, so rather than risking your contents in a wooden shed, a steel shed is a much better choice. Torrential rain won’t budge a steel shed and you won’t be faced with damp or suchlike.

Rest Assured With A Steel Shed

Homeowners are often short of space because they have every room in the house full and could just do with a little bit of extra space to house some items. You can choose the size of your steel shed and opt for the one that fits the outdoor area you have. It could be small or large, but you might want to think about the size of it in relation to your house, as you won’t want it to impose. You can keep anything from lawnmowers to bikes in a steel shed, leaving you assured that your belongings will be safe, dry and secure.

A Steel Shed Won’t Let You Down

As wooden sheds rot and suffer weather damage, metal sheds won’t have the same problems. They are built to last and your money is sure to be well spent. They look smart, neat and tidy and can act as an attractive addition to your home and garden. At work, a steel shed will always come in useful and you can feel confident that everything is secure inside. You won’t turn up one day to find water damage – a steel shed is the crème de la crème of storage solutions and people from various walks of life are investing in them for their business or home needs.

Metal Sheds – Giving you the flexibility you require

With summer now upon us, most homeowners will be heading out into their gardens. It is important to have a flexible storage solution and metal sheds more than fit the bill. Metal sheds come in a multitude of shapes and sizes to suit all requirements.

Keeping gardens, especially large gardens, in good order takes a considerable amount of effort and homeowners will, of course, need a variety of equipment such as lawnmowers and gardening apparatus to keep things in check. Obviously, storage of said equipment is of paramount importance and it is easy to see why most people see metal sheds as the ideal solution to all their storage requirements in the garden because of the excellent levels of flexibility, durability and functionality that steel sheds offer consumers. The diversity of options when it comes to metal sheds really is second to none and finding a reputable company who can share the vision of what you have in mind for your garden storage is key because it is imperative to match your needs with the ideal types of metal sheds.

Metal Sheds – A solution you can depend on
When it comes to any consumer purchase, one of the most important characteristics that we look for is reliability and this is certainly something which can be applied to metal sheds. The design and construction process behind steel sheds today is highly advanced and there are varieties to suit all needs from storing small garden tools all the way up to heavyweight machinery. Another key benefit of opting for metal sheds, particularly in the current economic climate, is the affordability of the structures. Steel sheds are not only highly valued forms of storage but they offer a degree of affordability which means they are a viable option for people on any budget. Speaking to specialists on metal sheds is a good idea to get an understanding of how to introduce a steel shed into your garden and maximise its efficiency.

Steel Sheds – A solid investment
If it’s peace of mind that you’re looking for from a storage solution, this is something that you will certainly find with metal sheds. This type of structure is exceptionally hard-wearing and will provide the perfect level of protection for all your garden apparatus from the often harsh weather conditions that we here in the UK are subjected to. Metal sheds really are unparalleled from a storage and durability perspective and this is something that thousands of homeowners will discover for themselves in 2012 and beyond.